Missetsu na Kokoro
by kaliawai512
Summary: Orihime never hated him. No matter how hard she tried, she could not hate him. Because, from the first moment she saw him, she thought he looked very sad. He was just too sad to hate.
1. Taiyou no Ningen

**Wow, it's been forever since I've posted anything here. Almost three years, hasn't it been? Well, it's good to be back!**

**This is not the first Bleach fanfiction I've started, but it is the first one I've finished. I wrote this on a whim in the middle of the night, and you could say it's like a series of very short drabbles or oneshots. Lots of short lines, but that's for effect. This is probably the first story I've ever written in this style. I have a longer story currently in the works, so we'll see if I finish that one. But I wanted to go ahead and post this.**

**It's rated for references to violence, and a general angsty tone to parts of it.**

**This isn't a flat-out pairing fic. But it deals with Orihime and Ulquiorra, and you can decide if you think it's Ulquihime or not.**

**I may add another chapter to this, depending on the response to it and whether or not you all would like me to continue. So it's up to you.**

**Of course, there are spoilers for up to Ch. 353 or 354 of the manga.  
**

**I hope you all enjoy this little story. And please leave a review!**

**Missetsu na Kokoro  
**

_Orihime never hated him. No matter how hard she tried, she could not hate him. Because, from the first moment she saw him, she thought he looked very sad._

_He was just too sad to hate._

_

* * *

_

When he told her to come with him, when he threatened the lives of her friends, she was afraid. But she was not afraid of him. Just for her friends.

He did not look evil to her. And he struck her as so different from the other Hollows she had encountered that she had trouble thinking he was a Hollow at all.

And when he told her that she could say goodbye to one person, she knew she shouldn't have felt grateful.

But a little part of her did.

* * *

Her journey to Hueco Mundo was her first time in a Garganta, and she had been ordered to stay close to him for her own safe keeping.

It was a long journey, and a dark journey, and she realized that Garganta was very cold.

Once, she heard something cry out in the distance like it was about to attack, and by instinct, she reached to grab onto his arm.

But the look he gave her when she took one step toward him was enough to make her heart stop beating.

After that, Orihime tried to ignore the sounds in the distance. And no matter how much they frightened her, she did not reach out for him again.

* * *

He only spoke to her twice during her first evening there.

The first was to tell her that they were about to enter the throne room, and that she would be obedient for the sake of her friends' lives.

He did not speak to her in the throne room, but she glanced over at him occasionally, and though she never caught him, she was certain he was watching her.

The second was only five words, as she stepped into the gray room with the couch and the barred window that she supposed would be her prison cell.

"You will wait here quietly."

She had put her hand up as he turned to walk out the door. "Wait!"

He stopped.

"W-where are you going?" she had asked, her voice quiet and shaky.

He had turned around to look at her. And the look in his green eyes was sharp and harsh, and she could feel his cold stare burning into her as if the entire room was turning to ice.

Then he left.

Orihime wondered if that counted as a third time.

* * *

Orihime didn't recall falling asleep on the couch when she finally woke up. Before she opened her eyes she got the strange feeling that she was not alone, and when she opened her eyes, she immediately turned her head to the side to find out.

At first it just looked like there was a shadow of something lurking near the wall of the room, as if part of her sleep was still lingering around her.

When the shadow moved, she froze, and she stared back at those green eyes that appeared out of the darkness.

She was surprised to find that they did not look as cold as they had before.

He did not say a word, merely dropped a neatly folded bundle of white clothing on the floor and walked back through the open door with his coattails waving behind him.

Orihime stared at the door a long time after it closed.

She wondered how long he had been watching her sleep.

* * *

When she realized that he was in the doorway as she stood, looking out the window, she had not thought about how to react. She had just reacted.

It took his insistence that she not make such a fuss for her to realize that, for a moment, she had forgotten where she was, and forgotten, for a moment, that he was not just another human, another friend, who had happened to startle her.

And when he announced that her friends had arrived, she forgot all about it.

* * *

Orihime had never been a violent person.

She had also never been an angry person.

So when her feet moved her across the room, and when she felt her hand connect with the hard, chilled skin of his face, she surprised even herself.

She had expected him to punish her, to threaten her, to do something to make her pay for daring to attempt an attack on him, however insignificant it was.

But he didn't. He just turned around and walked away.

Somehow, though, that made it hurt even more.

And through the pain in her hand and in her chest as the tears streamed down her face, she did not realize that he still lingered outside the door.

* * *

A little part of her had felt grateful to Grimmjow as she stood there over her shield.

But when she heard the sound in the broken opening to the tower and saw the figure standing there, a little bit of gratitude turned to almost fear.

But not quite.

And when he stared at her, that deadpan face burning into her as if that was its sole purpose, she found that she had to look away.

For when he looked at her like that, though she knew it was silly, a little part of her could not help but feel like she had done something wrong.

* * *

She knew from the time she saw Grimmjow attack that Grimmjow would have to win.

She knew that she should have hoped that Grimmjow would crush him.

But she found that she was unable to genuinely hope that he would get hurt.

When she saw that little black cube encircle him and make him disappear into thin air, she swore her heart skipped a beat, though she was not sure what it was for.

And when Grimmjow told her that it was meant to imprison lesser Arrancar forever, she felt a streak of shock shoot through her being.

It was not a good feeling.

And though she hated herself for it, Orihime was a little bit relieved when she heard that he would not be trapped forever himself.

* * *

Standing alone in the fifth tower of Las Noches, Orihime was not sure what to expect.

But hearing the sound of steady footsteps and the mystical voice speak a familiar "hai" was not even on her list.

She knew she should have been afraid to see him there.

But though she tried to be, she was not afraid to see him.

And a little bit of her relaxed at the knowledge that he was okay.

* * *

For Orihime, the concept of the heart had always been a steady thing.

Sora had talked about heart.

Kuchiki-san had talked about heart.

She had talked about heart.

So when he looked at her and asked her what a heart was, and when he reached out to ask her where it could be found, she found that she truly had not lied to him.

She did not fear him.

For the first time, she pitied him.

* * *

She had been too far away from the battle between him and Kurosaki-kun to hear most of the words spoken.

But after he had been cut for the first time, she was sure she heard Kurosaki-kun suggest that he had become more like a human.

That was the first time she had ever seen him look so angry.

And in that instant, she knew that Kurosaki-kun was right.

* * *

It had been instinct that had prompted her to put up her shield to protect Kurosaki-kun. Not for an instant had she thought about a reason.

So when Ulquiorra asked her why she had done it, she found herself unable to give an answer.

"I'll enlighten you. You are—"

Kurosaki-kun cut him off before he could finish. But Orihime did not need to hear the rest.

For she already knew what he was going to say.

And though she couldn't stand it, a part of her knew that he was right.

* * *

Orihime had been a little afraid when Loly and Menoly attacked her again. Only a little.

She had been more afraid when she saw Kurosaki-kun trying to break free to get them away from her.

And though the movement was slight, and she was not entirely sure it was there, she thought she saw Ulquiorra's ever-deadpan face crinkle just under his eye when he looked at her.

She was more afraid after that.

* * *

She already knew that the fight was dangerous when it was taken to the roof of Las Noches, but when she felt the enormous amounts of reiatsu pouring down on her, she knew that it had gotten worse.

Of course she found herself worried for Kurosaki-kun, and wondering if Kurosaki-kun was okay.

She did not want Kurosaki-kun to die.

But in that knowledge, she also found, to her own amazement, that she did not want Ulquiorra to die either.

* * *

Orihime had never thought Ulquiorra was a monster.

Even when he had threatened her friends' lives, even when he had insulted those friends when they came to rescue her, even when she had seen him fighting Kurosaki-kun, she had never thought, even for a moment, that he was a monster.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her once Ishida-kun brought her onto the dome.

She looked up once she realized where the both of them stood on top of the tower.

And when she saw Ulquiorra raise his finger and the black death begin to charge in front of it, she screamed as loud as she could.

In that moment, and only then, Ulquiorra was a monster.

* * *

When Orihime saw Kurosaki-kun's lifeless body under her shield, the hole in his chest gaping and refusing to heal, she was afraid.

When she saw Ishida-kun skid to a stop near her, his left hand gone and his wrist dripping with blood, she was afraid.

But when she looked at Ulquiorra standing there, with horns and black wings and black fur and a tail, she was not afraid.

Not of him.

And when she cried for Kurosaki-kun to help her, she did not cry for fear of Ulquiorra. She cried because she did not know what else to do.

* * *

Orihime had known from the beginning of the battle that when Kurosaki-kun was winning, she should be happy for him.

But for this entire battle, he had only barely been hanging on, so she had never had the chance to feel happy for him.

She watched as the beast with the horns and the mask ripped Ulquiorra's arm off, watched as he sliced him in half, and watched as he charged the glowing red cero that was to finish him off.

Never did the thought even cross her mind to be happy for Kurosaki-kun.

Never did the thought even cross her mind that he had won.

The only thought that crossed her mind, even once, was that Ulquiorra had lost.

And he was no longer a monster.

The monster was Kurosaki-kun.

And that thought was truly frightening indeed.

* * *

Orihime had never been afraid of Ulquiorra.

And she had never imagined she would be afraid of Kurosaki-kun.

But when she saw him charging the cero at Ishida-kun, lying there with the black Zanpakuto plunged into his stomach, she didn't think she had been more afraid in her life.

And she had never imagined that the sight of Ulquiorra, throwing himself into the air with an energy spear clasped in his hand, and chopping off one horn to stop that cero, would make her feel relieved.

But, through the terror and panic and horror that coursed through her being, a part of her was.

Because, for the first time, Ulquiorra was the one who was saving someone she cared about.

The one who was saving her.

* * *

Orihime had heard of many of Kurosaki-kun's enemies who hated him because he would not finish them off.

She had heard of many enemies who wanted to die an honorable death in battle.

Ulquiorra had never struck her as the type who cared either way about how he died.

So when she heard him ask Kurosaki-kun to kill him, as his remaining wing began to fade into the dust, she did not know quite what to think.

She did not know what to think when Kurosaki-kun refused.

And she did not know what to think when, upon hearing this, for the first time, she saw Ulquiorra look genuinely sad.

He still did not strike her as one who wanted an honorable death.

So she could never understand why he wanted Kurosaki-kun to kill a dying opponent.

But it made her sad, too.

* * *

Orihime had known many of the enemies that her friends had fought.

She had known ones who turned out to be kind deep down, and were merely led down the wrong path.

She had known ones that were horrid right to the very end, and she had never found out why they were the way they were.

But when Ulquiorra looked at her as he faded into the wind, she knew she had never known an enemy of her friends who looked at her quite like that.

When she saw his hand reaching out for her, asking if he frightened her, she did not know what to think. She did not know what to feel.

But the tears came into her eyes regardless of all of that.

And no matter what the confusion inside of her made her think and feel, she did not protest as her hand lifted away from her chest and back toward him.

Orihime had known many feelings in her life.

She had known desperation.

And she had known pain.

But she had never felt such desperation as when her fingers grasped for his and merely brushed against the ash that was beginning to fade into the wind.

And she had never felt such pain as when she watched him, his soft eyes still looking at her, as his entire body blew into nothingness.

And she was left alone. Standing there. Her hand outstretched.

And suddenly, the nature of good and evil, of justice, of anything, no longer made any sense at all.

* * *

She had not thought of anything when she healed Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu. She had just done what was needed, and that was it.

She had not thought of anything when she healed Ishida-kun's injuries. He started to speak to her once or twice, but both times she said nothing, and he went quiet.

She had not thought of much of anything as she stood there, looking out at the spot on the dome where he had last stood.

But she could still see the afterimage in her mind of his figure. Reaching for her.

"Inoue-san," she heard Ishida-kun start, but she did not look at him. She heard a sigh. "Inoue-san …"

Ishida-kun did not finish. She found that she did not care.

Orihime did not think of anything as she stood there on the dome of Las Noches, staring at that single spot.

But she felt something, deep within her. Something strong. Something that spoke to her, loud and clear.

She did not really hear Ishida-kun's voice as she took the few steps necessary to stand where she had been not so long before.

She did not hear his questions or his shouts as she raised both of her hands in front of her.

But she could feel the faintest of smiles come to her face, and as she closed her eyes, she could feel a single, lonely tear trickle down her cheek.

"Soten Kisshun. I reject."

* * *

_Ulquiorra Cifer had always looked very sad, up until the moment he died. And that was all he had ever been to Orihime. Someone who was sad._

_But though the feeling was new, she was glad to see all of him seem to shine a little brighter under her shield._

_And though she did not know what she should feel as his body reformed, as he reappeared bit by bit under the golden glow, she did know one thing above all._

_It felt right._

_And that was enough for her._


	2. Tsuki no Houro

**Wow! I'm very pleased! 4 reviews, 5 favorites, 2 alerts, and 108 hits (and from _26 _countries, no less!) in just a few days! Thank you so much, everyone! I'll be sending responses to all your kind reviews very soon.**

**But since I got such a good response and felt inspired, I did another chapter. It's similar to the first, but through the eyes of a different person. I think that person should be obvious before you even start reading.**

**I'm also considering making a third chapter of this to finish it up, but again, that all depends on whether you guys like this chapter and would like me to continue or not. But I've sure had a great time trying out this new style!**

**But darn, this chapter was tougher than the first. Ulquiorra may be my favorite character, but he's so hard to right in comparison to Orihime.  
**

**The same general info applies to this chapter as to the last. Rating is for references to violence, and the story may or may not be taken as Ulquihime. It deals with their relationship, and goes into it in depth. It's also somewhat dark and angsty at times, I warn you, but with some hope sprinkled on top. I need hope at a time like this: I just watched the latest episode of Bleach (272), and am keeping myself from crying. Seriously, when you get the chance, find it and watch it. High quality. Properly subtitled.**

**Note: I spell Nnoitra's name as, well, "Nnoitra" because that seems to be the canon spelling, but I always pronounce it as "Nnoitora," because that's how it's spelled and spoken in Japanese, and even in the English dub.  
**

**Anyway, please leave a review, and thanks again for all your kind words! Have a great day...  
**

**Chapter 2: Tsuki no Houro**

When Ulquiorra came to the park that day, he was perfectly convinced he knew what humans were like.

When Ulquiorra crashed into the grassy field with Yammy that afternoon, he watched all the humans surrounding them, and saw them as no more than trash.

When Ulquiorra stepped out of the crater that moment and saw the girl with the orange hair standing in front of that other human, he knew she must have been a little strange.

He had no idea how right he was.

* * *

When Aizen-sama told him it was time to carry out his orders, he did not think of it as a special mission.

He thought of it as a mission, and that was all.

But the smile Aizen-sama gave him before he left was just a little different from the smiles he had given him before.

Ulquiorra tried not to notice.

* * *

Ulquiorra did not take delight in violence like so many of the other Espada did.

To him, violence was only useful if it was necessary.

So a part of him told him it was useless when he injured her guards, even though they would have posed no threat to his mission, and he might have left them unharmed.

Part of his reasoning, he knew, was to observe her powers up close.

But, at least deep down, he knew he wanted her to know that he was serious and that he was powerful, and that he wasn't going to be taken lightly.

When he saw the look on her face as she watched her two guards be sliced up from a single bala, he vaguely wondered if he was being sadistic.

* * *

He had told her she had twelve hours to say goodbye.

And he knew that having such a reprieve was all part of Aizen-sama's plan.

But he couldn't help himself from glancing through a one-way Garganta during that time to find out what she was doing.

He saw her climbing through a window into someone's bedroom.

He watched her, his eyes narrowing, as she spoke to someone who could not hear her.

And he froze in his spot, surprised, when he saw her lean forward toward that boy who lay unconscious on the bed.

He did not know why she stopped.

He did not know why tears fell from her eyes.

And he did not know why she healed the boy's injured hand and stepped out of the window before he could understand what she had been about to do.

But as he looked away, suddenly, Ulquiorra found humans just a little stranger than he had before.

* * *

He never forgot the sight of her as she stepped into her new room and stood in the moonlight that streamed in through the window.

He never forgot how she looked standing there, and how the room looked all around her.

He never forgot that somehow, the room did not suit her.

He never forgot how she seemed like a blotch of color that simply did not belong.

"You will stay here quietly," he told her, though he knew it did not need to be said.

When she called for him and asked where he was going, he had stopped. And he had looked at her.

And seeing her looking at him like that, looking so colorful in a world that was so gray, made something stir within him.

He didn't know what it was. But he decided that he did not like it.

* * *

The only order had been to bring her her new uniform and then return to his quarters. So that was all Ulquiorra planned to do.

But when he opened the door and found that she was no longer standing on the floor in the center of the room, he knew instantly that it would not be that simple.

His eyes flicked over to the couch, and he felt himself tense ever so slightly when he saw her lying there unconscious.

Ulquiorra had never seen a human sleep. Never from up close, and never when he was actually in the room with them.

So it was an entirely new phenomenon to look at the girl on that couch, her eyes closed, her breathing slowed, and her orange hair splayed all around her.

Ulquiorra did not fully realize that he backed up against the wall and stood there in the shadows, his eyes never leaving her, the uniform in his hands forgotten.

He did not fully realize how fascinating he found a sleeping human to be.

And it was not until she opened her eyes and looked at him, and he walked silently out of the room, that he remembered to scold himself.

* * *

Ulquiorra never paid much attention to beauty.

And when he stepped into the doorway to see her standing in front of the window in her new white gown, he did not admire her.

But the sight was unusual, to see the color of her hair against the bland whiteness of her uniform. And he studied it.

In a way, it did suit her.

He watched her expressions as she turned to face him, as he announced her friends' arrival. He watched her face, resolute and refusing to break, swearing her loyalty to Aizen-sama. He watched her hair cover her emotions as she turned away from him when he left.

Perhaps, he thought, as the door closed behind him, that uniform did not suit her so well after all.

Their uniforms did not quite suit anyone with that much life.

* * *

Of all of the other Espada, Ulquiorra was certain that Nnoitra was the most annoying.

Over all his time in Las Noches, and all the time he had spent around Nnoitra, Ulquiorra had grown used to his sick humor. Most of the time, he just ignored it.

So when Nnoitra struck up a conversation with him in the hallway, Ulquiorra had expected something disgusting. Another comment he would dismiss. Another joke to which he would turn and walk away.

He knew he should have expected Nnoitra to say something about the girl.

So he shouldn't have been surprised when he heard such a sick question.

But though he denied it to himself, Ulquiorra felt a strong spark of agitation shoot through him when Nnoitra dared to say something like that about the girl.

Vulgar, he thought.

But he couldn't help but wonder as he walked away why Nnoitra's jokes had never bothered him so much before.

* * *

Humans had never baffled him so much as when he came to give the girl her first meal.

He had never felt such a meld of confusion and annoyance at her constant insistence that her friend was alive.

The concept of friendship was vague to him. The other Espada were the closest thing he had ever had to friends.

So he could not understand why the girl could be so silly as to care when her friends were killed.

He could not understand the growing emotion that showed so plainly on her face as he insisted as such.

And he could not understand when she ran forward and slapped him right across the face, as if she thought it would hurt him.

He looked at her, and he never forgot the look of rugged determination on her face.

Yes, she was a brave girl. A strong woman.

She was also stupid.

But not as stupid as he had thought her to be before.

* * *

Ulquiorra had never directly disobeyed an order.

Ulquiorra had always obeyed Aizen-sama, no matter what he said.

The thought had never crossed his mind to do anything other than what Aizen-sama ordered.

But when he sonidoed to the top of the staircase in Las Noches and stared down at that boy with the orange hair, for the first time, what Aizen-sama had ordered did not even cross his mind.

All that crossed his mind was how much he wanted to prove her wrong.

* * *

He already knew before he reached her cell that something was different.

Even before he saw those two Arrancar girls, standing terrified in the center of the room, he knew that something had happened.

But though he tried, he could not quite understand the flash of genuine anger that shot through him when they told him the name of the one who had taken her away.

And as he walked swiftly down the hall toward the tower in question, he wanted to scold himself for the anger he knew he should not have felt.

But somehow, he could not.

* * *

Ulquiorra had hoped that his confrontation with Grimmjow would not lead to a fight, but knowing Grimmjow, he knew to expect it.

His eyes flicked to her briefly as she put up her shield to defend herself from their close-range attacks on one another. And just as briefly, he wanted to reprimand Grimmjow for not at least taking this fight a little further away.

The only other time he looked at her or thought of her was when the familiar black cube fell into the hole in his chest, and he knew that at least for the time being, he would not be able to interfere.

He glanced at her figure through the clearing clouds of dust for a mere instant as he was enveloped in the alternate dimension.

And so quickly that he wondered if the thought had even meant anything, he hoped that, at the very least, she wouldn't end up hurt.

Grimmjow would be severely punished if she was.

And for that thought, at that moment, Ulquiorra knew that he had never hated anyone more than he hated himself.

* * *

Aizen-sama had told them about Caja Negacion, but Ulquiorra had never imagined he would actually experience the inside of it.

It was nothing, and that seemed like the best way he could have put it.

There was no temperature, no light, no nothing. There had been very little in his world so far, but this was less than he could have thought possible.

He remained calm. He used his measured techniques to free himself.

But while he was there in that nothingness, he discovered something odd.

That, in the lack of everything, he missed the colors and the light of the girl.

* * *

When he finally broke through the walls of the nothingness, the first thing he knew was the order he had been given.

The second was that the girl was standing just across the room.

The third was that he was just the tiniest bit relieved that she was there.

* * *

Ulquiorra knew what hate was, but he had never felt it in its entirety.

He tried to break her. Tried to crush that silly hope that he could not understand.

He insisted on his own truth.

The heart.

It could not exist.

Whatever he could not see could not exist.

And yet, no matter what words he chose, she still had that glow in her eyes that told him, all too clearly, that she did not believe him.

And Ulquiorra found that, if only for an instant, he hated her.

* * *

When in a battle, Ulquiorra always kept his attention on the opponent. It was stupid to do otherwise.

And so he told Kurosaki Ichigo when that boy tried to leave their battle to defend the girl.

It was ridiculous, he thought.

And yet, when he glanced over for a mere instant at those Arrancar girls, and at the girl they were tormenting, disapproval shot through him for an instant.

Ulquiorra tried to deny to himself how ridiculous he had become.

* * *

The boy was silly. The boy had always been silly.

And he wanted to prove that to him.

But he wanted to prove it to the girl even more.

And that was why he was pleased to see her running up to the base of the tower and staring up at the boy as Ulquiorra held up him up with his long black tail.

He had to crush it.

He had to crush the light.

Because the light was what he could not understand. The light was what he could not grasp. And therefore, he had to destroy it.

And Ulquiorra had to wonder what that odd feeling was when he heard her scream echoing through the air as his cero blasted through the center of the boy's chest.

* * *

The most explicit display of human emotions that Ulquiorra had ever seen was that girl, sitting on the ground next to her shield, trying in vain to heal that stupid human boy.

And though he kept up his face, the questions that raced through him were almost unbearable.

Why would she not give up?

Why would she not accept his death and move on?

Why would that Quincy attack him when he knew that he had no chance of defeating him?

Why did they keep on trying?

Ulquiorra did not want to hurt her. There was no need to hurt her. There was no need to continue this battle after the boy was dead.

There was no need to do anything more than disable the Quincy. And the girl, he knew, could not pose a threat at all.

And so, when he stood there, looking at her, he had no intention of harming her.

Yet, when she looked up at him, she seemed to be staring into the eyes of a monster.

And Ulquiorra had to wonder, however briefly, if she was right.

* * *

Ulquiorra did not understand how he had been defeated. But he was not sad about it. He was not upset. He was not so stupid as to curse death or to curse his enemy for a victory.

He was going to die, he knew. And the thought did not upset him.

For his life had no meaning now that he had been defeated.

But as the cero charged above his head, red and glowing and spelling out his destruction, a brief thought flashed through Ulquiorra's mind.

He wondered, though it was quick, what purpose these humans found in living.

In that moment, he had never found it more stupid how humans kept trying, and kept living, regardless of defeat.

But in that moment, he also found himself, for the first time, jealous.

Jealous of the humans for having a reason to live.

* * *

He felt the strain on his regenerating body as he threw himself into the air with the javelin clutched in his only complete hand.

But he did not care.

He knew that this action was silly. He could have let himself heal and then left, able to escape without having to face that beast again.

But he did not care.

He did not know why he used the bit of strength he had left to launch that final attack.

But when he saw the creature aiming that cero, when he saw the Quincy impaled for defending him, the thought crossed his mind to interfere.

And somehow, for a reason he did not know, when he saw that girl screaming, when he saw that the one who had come to protect her had turned against them all, he moved.

Ulquiorra knew how far he had fallen.

But even still, he did not care.

* * *

Ulquiorra did not know much about human trust, and he did not know much about human relationships.

But he knew who that boy had been during the whole time he had known him, and he knew what that creature had been that had almost finished him off.

A Hollow. A human turned Hollow, yes, but a Hollow. A Hollow that would even attack his own comrades. A Hollow that showed no mercy.

So when he saw the boy's mask shatter, and saw that boy collapse on the ground, he did not expect to be taken as an ally.

But he had expected that that boy would be an enemy.

So Ulquiorra felt the most genuine surprise when he saw the girl running to him, dropping to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

He also felt just a little bit sad.

And he did not know why.

But after all of this, it was almost impossible for him to care.

* * *

Humans were strange creatures. So many of them so simple, and yet far more complex than he had ever imagined.

But there were a few things that were assumed of all creatures, human or not.

"Kill me," Ulquiorra ordered, and though his body was weak and blowing away, his voice was strong.

And he had never thought that boy could look so upset about anything related to an enemy, and so insistent not to do as he was told.

And suddenly, humans were much stranger creatures than Ulquiorra had ever thought.

That boy was stubborn.

And Ulquiorra had never despised that quality more.

And yet, for the first time, he did not think it stupid.

* * *

Ulquiorra knew he was going to die.

He could feel his body disappearing around him, and he was not afraid of death. He was not angry at his killer.

But he was just a little bit sad. And he still did not quite know why.

He did not know for certain why he looked to the girl, but she was the one place he thought he could look.

And for the first time, he found such a strange comfort in looking into those large, sad eyes, that he really did not understand it. But it did not bother him.

The thought of his own silliness did not even cross his mind when he reached for the light that had evaded him. The color in the everlasting gray. The one who had baffled him from the very beginning.

"Do I frighten you? Woman."

And he had never in his entire existence thought that he could feel such an odd sense of contentment when she told him she was not afraid.

* * *

The heart.

The heart was not the thing that beat in their chests, the thing that kept them alive.

The heart was not the thing in their minds, that gave them thoughts.

The heart was what he could not find, no matter how hard he looked for it.

But as he looked at her, at her hand that slowly reached out to him, he saw it so clear.

So clear that it was almost hard to believe he had never seen it before.

For he could see it now.

He could see it in his hand. The hand that was no longer there, but the hand he still reached out as she reached back to him.

The heart.

And it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

And as the world faded away into the peaceful nothingness of death, Ulquiorra almost wanted to smile.

* * *

The nothingness was not like the Caja Negacion. It was not like the emptiness of his entire existence. It was gentle. It was warm.

It took Ulquiorra a long time to realize that somehow, he was conscious.

It took him a long time to feel that the warmth was real, and it surrounded him.

It took him a long time to see the light that was all around him, and though it was bright, it was still beautiful.

It took him a long time to feel the cold hard stone under his body, and yet realize that he did not mind it.

And it took him a long time to realize that he could open his eyes.

But it took him a mere instant to see that the girl with the long orange hair and the large, teary brown eyes was looking at him.

And the girl was smiling.

And he did not think it ridiculous one bit when he realized that he was glad.


	3. Ningen to Houro no Seimei

**Man! You guys are great! Seven reviews total (3 new), 13 favorites, 5 alerts, and 222 hits (from _31 _countries - I'm actually seeing one or two country's names I've never even heard of!). I'm very pleased!**

**So here is the third chapter of this story. It's longer than the others, and somewhat different, as the POV differs between sections, and, of course, none of it is canon. It is, however, somewhat more upbeat: I tried to put a little humor in there, where I could. Again, this could be taken as Ulquihime, or not. All depends on how you want to read it. Any part that is more romantic is usually there for humor's sake. There are also some parts that deal with Ulquiorra and his relationships with the other major characters, sometimes in connection with Orihime and sometimes not.  
**

**This is also the final chapter of this story, since it seems like a proper way to end it. However, writing this has given me the idea for a possible follow-up to this story, which would be inspired by this chapter, but written in my usual style, and would go into more events and more detail. It would most likely be a oneshot collection. Let me know if you guys would be interested in reading it!**

**Here are a few cultural notes for those of you not as familiar with Japanese culture: **

**In Japan, Valentine's Day is when girls give chocolate hearts to their male acquaintances/friends/sweethearts. "Giri choco," or "obligation chocolate," is given to non-romantic guys the girl knows, perhaps coworkers. "Honmei choco" ("chocolate of love," I think?), is for their sweetheart/boyfriend/husband.**

**Tanabata is a festival celebrated around July or August to celebrate a story of a couple who is separated for all time, except for one night a year (look it up, it's interesting!).**

**In Japan (or at least in Bleach), the school year begins at the beginning of the year and ends at the end (EDIT: actually, this is slightly off; the school year begins in April, and there is only a one week break between school years. My goodness...).**

**In Japan, high school students study for the "national exam" to enter college. It is very, very, very important.**

**And by the way, chopped potatoes, eggs, and ketchup is an actual recipe given to me by my mom, who learned it from her mom. It's actually very delicious.  
**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the final installation of "Missetsu na Kokoro"! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought, and thanks again!**

**Oh, and by the way, to those of you who don't speak Japanese and don't know how to translate it, "Missetsu na Kokoro" is my best English-to-Japanese translation of "Connected Hearts."  
**

**Chapter 3: Ningen to Houro no Seimei**

Orihime knew that she should have had a plan for what to do when he opened his eyes.

She even thought that she had had a plan for what to do, how to explain herself, and how to answer any questions he might have.

But the instant the glowing shield disappeared around him, Orihime only acted on impulse as she threw herself at him in a tight and relieved hug.

It took her pulling back a few moments later and seeing the shocked expression on his face to realize that maybe she should have been a bit less direct.

But Ulquiorra did not seem to mind.

* * *

Even Ulquiorra was not entirely sure how they came to the conclusion that he would go back with them.

He was just about certain that the Quincy did not want him there, for every time Ulquiorra made a movement, the Quincy stiffened as if ready to attack.

But as soon as Ulquiorra was back on his feet and had dusted himself off, Inoue Orihime smiled at him and the Quincy suggested that they try to get back to the human world to help out if they could.

Ulquiorra merely stood there on the dome as the Quincy and Inoue Orihime began to walk away.

But it did not take long for Inoue Orihime to turn around and look at him.

"Come on, Ulquiorra, let's hurry!" she called out to him.

And though he did not know what possessed him to do so, he followed her.

* * *

Kurotsuchi Mayuri gave them the news of the victory of the War by casual mention as soon as they were back within the dome.

Orihime, on the inside, was relieved beyond comprehension.

But a second later, she turned her head, looked Ulquiorra straight in the eyes, and took his hand.

Ulquiorra just looked at her.

That was the first time Orihime realized that Ulquiorra did not seem to care about the outcome of the War.

But she still held onto his hand.

* * *

It was on the journey back through the Garganta that Ulquiorra noticed that he was not the only Arrancar traveling with them.

The other Arrancar he recognized as the child Kurosaki Ichigo had been carrying with him during their first encounter in Las Noches.

He looked at her for a long time before she turned her head to look back at him.

And the first thing she did was scream.

It took plenty of coaxing from Inoue Orihime to calm her, but at last, she came to walk alongside him and stared up at him for a long time.

"What?" he asked after the silence.

"I'm Nel," she announced, as if expecting a response. "Nel Tu."

Ulquiorra blinked. "… and?"

"Your mask looks weird."

* * *

Ulquiorra knew from the very first moment that it was not going to be easy convincing the Soul Society to allow a former Espada to remain in the human world.

At first, he thought it was ridiculous for such a thing to even be requested.

He did not expect the captains of the fourth, eighth, and thirteenth divisions to put in a good word for him, along with all four of the humans, Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi.

He was allowed to stay with the humans, on the condition that he be kept in a restraining gigai under close supervision.

And Ulquiorra couldn't decide if the good words put in for him were acts of kindness or stupidity.

* * *

Orihime knew a little about gigais.

But she had never gotten to chance to see a soul get into one for the first time.

And she was certainly not prepared for the sight of two Ulquiorras, one lying limp in a chair, and one standing, still in his torn Arrancar uniform, staring and looking bored.

"And how am I to use it?" Ulquiorra asked.

Urahara-san smiled wide and opened his fan in front of his face. "We just put you into it, that's all!"

Orihime jumped when Jinta ran up behind Ulquiorra and gave him a hard kick to the center of his back.

And before she could gasp, the gigai was standing, blinking, pale, without a mask, and dressed in a school uniform.

Though she was sure Ulquiorra would not appreciate it, Orihime giggled.

* * *

Finding Ulquiorra a place to live was the first of his trials as a human.

Urahara Kisuke had been the first to offer residence, but within a day, Ulquiorra packed up and left, deciding that a staying with the man was not worth scrubbing all the store shelves with a human toothbrush.

Sado Yasutora, in an act of kindness apparently typical for him, had invited Ulquiorra to stay with him, but Ulquiorra had merely to walk inside to find that he would get not a hint of free space or privacy, and politely declined the invitation.

It had been suggested briefly for him to stay with Kurosaki Ichigo, but that idea was dismissed before it could even turn into a possibility.

It was entirely by accident that Ulquiorra found his place of residence, when Inoue Orihime invited him over for dinner, and he walked into the empty apartment next to hers by mistake.

When Orihime and the landlady came in to find the once-dusty apartment clean and tidy, with all the papers that had been stashed there organized, the landlady offered him the room on the condition that he help her with filing and chores on the weekends.

And that was how Ulquiorra Cifer and Inoue Orihime came to be next-door neighbors.

* * *

It was the first time that Ulquiorra actually ate dinner with Inoue Orihime that he got his first impression of human food.

He had gotten a few quick meals from Urahara Kisuke, but he had never suspected that those were to be taken as normal.

So he was not in the least bit surprised when Inoue Orihime skipped out of the kitchen carrying a large platter with a bowl of potato chips, curry mixed with chopped chocolate, noodles topped with ketchup and wasabi, and something that looked like sliced fruit.

After the meal she seemed very anxious when she asked him if he liked it.

He set down his chopsticks. "The chocolate is too sweet, but the meal was … good."

He couldn't understand why it was that she smiled so ridiculously wide. But he couldn't say he minded.

* * *

The first thing Ulquiorra saw when he walked into the classroom on his first day of human high school was a strange girl with short black hair aiming a punch at Inoue Orihime.

And he wasted no time in snatching the girl's wrist in his own tight grasp, ready to break her arm in two.

It took Orihime nearly a minute to stutter out a full explanation.

That was how Ulquiorra Cifer met Arisawa Tatsuki.

He already did not quite like her.

He saw from the looks she gave him from across the room that she did not particularly like him either.

And at least once, he strangely saw Inoue Orihime put her face in her palm and sigh.

* * *

Later that same week, the Tatsuki girl invited him to a friendly sparring match.

He did not particularly want to fight the girl, but the idea made Inoue Orihime smile very wide, so he had trouble saying no.

He won the match, even in his gigai and even without using any more than slightly above average human strength.

Tatsuki never looked at him quite the same after that.

After that, she started smiling.

They sparred together Friday afternoons from that day on.

* * *

The first exam of the school year came very quickly, and Orihime did all she could to teach Ulquiorra how to study.

She was more nervous for him than for herself when they sat down to take the test.

When results were posted a few days later, there was a commotion in the hallway next to the bulletin board.

The group of them did not even need to see the announcement. The other students all looked over to them as soon as they arrived.

Ranked second, Ishida Uryu.

Ranked first, Ulquiorra Cifer.

Orihime offered Ulquiorra her most enthusiastic congratulations.

She invited Ishida-kun out for ice cream after school, but he declined, saying that he had to get home and study.

* * *

It did not take Ulquiorra long to notice that on the 13th of February, Inoue Orihime began acting very strange.

She seemed peppier and happier than he had seen her in a while.

She laughed more, if that was possible, and her smile got even more ridiculous.

At first, Ulquiorra thought she might be ill, and began looking up local doctors.

It took an act of what might have been called mercy by Kurosaki Ichigo to explain that the next day was Valentine's Day.

But took an even more merciful act by the Quincy to explain what Valentine's Day was.

* * *

Ulquiorra woke up the next day to find a small strangely-shaped box with a yellow bow under his pillow.

He opened the box and found what the Quincy had called a chocolate heart.

He stared at that chocolate heart for a long time.

And though the thought was brief, he found himself wondering if it was giri or honmei.

He also found himself wondering how the girl had gotten into his apartment in the first place.

* * *

He went over to Inoue Orihime's apartment for breakfast.

She still had that goofy grin on her face and had prepared a mixture of chopped potatoes, eggs, and ketchup that was now steaming on the table.

Without a word, Ulquiorra broke the chocolate heart in half and held one half out to her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, her face going red and her hands flying up in front of her. "I can't take that! It's yours! Really!"

Ulquiorra held it out again. "You will take it, woman. I will not eat any if you do not."

Inoue Orihime took the chocolate.

And over breakfast, he noticed that she never once stopped smiling.

* * *

Ulquiorra could tell very easily that Inoue Orihime's friends did not particularly like him.

Kurosaki Ichigo treated him just the same as before, blunt and a little rude, but he never once brought up the events of the dome. Ulquiorra figured that was for the best.

Ishida Uryu seemed to have convictions against both Hollows and Shinigami, so Ulquiorra did not expect him to show much kindness. Yet the Quincy still treated him politely and occasionally helped him to assimilate to the human world.

It took Ulquiorra a while to realize that the Quincy believed he had saved his life, however accidentally, and felt that he was in debt.

Sado Yasutora, he found, was gentler than the rest, despite his size and brute strength. He did not talk much, but when he did he was kind. Ulquiorra supposed Sado Yasutora was the closest he had to a friend of any of them.

Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Rukia, when they visited from the Soul Society, seemed to be trying to remain indifferent to his presence. But Abarai Renji made a habit of yelling at him when he was in a bad mood, even if Ulquiorra had done nothing amiss, and Kuchiki Rukia, he supposed, still held a bit of a grudge for what he had done to Kurosaki Ichigo.

But she spoke to him without yelling, and once even smiled in his direction. He could not figure out for a long time afterward whether she had been forcing herself to do so or not.

Ulquiorra did not care what humans—or Shinigami—thought of him. Even if they were not trash, their opinions did not matter.

But on the days when it seemed that they disliked him a little more than usual, Ulquiorra was glad that he still had Inoue Orihime.

* * *

The first time Ulquiorra even saw Kurosaki Ichigo's home was when his father invited him over for dinner through a message given to Tatsuki.

Ulquiorra was not particularly keen on spending time with the boy or his family, but he supposed that declining the invitation would just make the tension between them even more concrete, so he reluctantly accepted.

He was greeted at the front door first by the young Arrancar Nel, who had apparently taken up residence there, and then by a man with a messy look about himself. The man greeted him enthusiastically with a very firm Western-style handshake.

"Welcome! So glad to finally meet you! I'm Kurosaki Isshin, Ichigo's father!"

"Ulquiorra Cifer," Ulquiorra introduced himself, trying very discreetly to remove his hand from the man's grip.

Kurosaki Ichigo's younger sisters didn't seem much like the boy at all, though the one with the black hair had a little of his sarcastic personality. The taller one was friendly as could be, and Ulquiorra had to wonder if any of this family had any idea who he really was.

It all went quite well, until Ulquiorra had taken a seat at the table and had several plates of steaming food placed in front of him.

For that was when the girl called Yuzu called out, "Nii-chan! Come eat your dinner!"

That was when Kurosaki Ichigo waltzed unexpectedly into the kitchen, and his eyes immediately went as wide as saucers.

That was also when Ulquiorra learned that Kurosaki Isshin had invited him over without once consulting his son.

* * *

Orihime had been knitting a new hat for herself when Ulquiorra knocked on her door that Sunday afternoon.

She invited him to sit down and have some tea. It was a simple recipe she had made before, bland in her opinion but apparently good in his, but he did not take a single sip.

After a very long silence she asked him what was wrong.

He looked away. "What do humans do," he started, his voice quiet, "when they have done something they regret?"

Orihime set down her tea. "They apologize."

Ulquiorra stood up from the table, leaving his cup full. He looked down at her, his hands in his pockets, his eyes soft.

"Then I am sorry."

Orihime sat there for a long time after he left.

And she did not drink any more of her tea.

* * *

He did not speak to her for a week after that, and she began to think that he was ill or she had hurt him somehow.

She finally caught sight of him walking into his apartment one afternoon, and grabbed his arm to stop him from going inside.

"What are you sorry for?" she asked in a firm tone.

He blinked and stared to the side. "I have caused you pain."

Orihime drew in a sharp breath.

Then, slowly, she removed her hand from his arm and moved it over to touch him softly on the shoulder.

He looked to her when she smiled.

"But now you bring me joy."

Ulquiorra did not say anything.

But he did not seem sad again for a long time.

* * *

Ulquiorra supposed it was by his own luck that he was walking home from school with the Quincy when he met Ishida Ryuken.

He noticed his presence without difficulty and glanced to the side, only to see a glowing bow and arrow aimed at him from a mere two meters away, held by a suited man with white hair.

"Step away from him, Uryu," the man announced as Ulquiorra stared at him in boredom. "Or you may get hit as well."

It took Ishida Uryu five full minutes to explain why an Arrancar in gigai was walking with him on the street.

It took Ulquiorra only two to quietly turn away from them and find his own way home.

* * *

Ulquiorra only used his powers once during his first year living with the humans.

It was on a quiet afternoon when he was in the park with Inoue Orihime, and he heard the familiar screeching of a Hollow.

He did not even look to see her reaction before he forced himself out of his gigai with his own power and sliced the Hollow once down the head with his sword.

It was not until he turned around that he realized Inoue Orihime was staring at him in shock.

Several nearby humans had passed out from his reiatsu, there had been significant damage done to the surrounding area, and Urahara Kisuke had to make him a new gigai, since his old one had been destroyed from the force of him escaping it.

He had also gotten several stunned looks from Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryu and a scolding from Shihoin Yoruichi before a full day could go by.

It wasn't until a few days later that Inoue Orihime approached him at random and asked why he had acted so impulsively.

Ulquiorra waited a long time before he glanced briefly away.

"I did not want you to get hurt."

And then he walked away, fully aware of Inoue Orihime practically gaping at him as he did so.

* * *

It was on June 17th that Ulquiorra learned something new about Kurosaki Ichigo.

No one seemed to question why he was not at school that day. Even Inoue Orihime.

Tatsuki was the one who finally approached him after class and explained what had happened on that date seven years before.

Ulquiorra had never seen Arisawa Tatsuki look that sad.

And suddenly, Ulquiorra understood more about humans than he had before.

It was only a little.

But it was there.

* * *

It was in late July when Inoue Orihime showed up at his door one evening dressed in a pink kimono and carrying a dark blue yukata in her arms, a wide smile on her face.

When he gave her a strange look, she giggled nervously.

"Well, you see, I was going to get you a green one, since I know you like green more than blue, but when I was picking one out for you I saw this really great blue one and I thought 'Wow, I think that would look great on him!' so I …"

It took her nearly three minutes to stop talking.

It took her five minutes longer to announce that that night was a human holiday called Tanabata.

* * *

Ulquiorra had never heard of Tanabata.

By extension, he had certainly never heard of a Tanabata Festival, nor did he see the point of celebrating a day because of a silly human story.

But he still found himself walking with Inoue Orihime down the street toward the hustle and bustle of the bright and colorful lights in the distance.

As his dark blue yukata flapped in the wind around him, and his maskless hair blew with it, Ulquiorra thought of how the other Espada would have laughed if they saw him now.

But as he glanced toward the girl who walked with him, he knew quite certainly that, even if they had, he would not have cared.

* * *

Tanabata was filled with fireworks, and colors, and people wandering about the festival dressed in kimonos and yukatas.

There were games that made no sense and had no point, games that Inoue Orihime insisted on playing, though Ulquiorra tried to convince her, however briefly, that there was no good reason to.

They even ran into Inoue Orihime's friends, all dressed in the same traditional attire—save Kurosaki Ichigo, who was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans—and Ulquiorra tried to hide his annoyance with the group and their ridiculous enthusiasm.

But as the night wound to an end, and the two of them started on their way back to the apartments, Inoue Orihime stopped briefly on the street and smiled at him.

He glanced down to see that she had taken both of his hands in hers.

"Thank you for coming," she nearly whispered.

And suddenly, though he said nothing in return, Ulquiorra thought that perhaps the evening was not quite as ridiculous as he had thought.

* * *

The first holiday that was properly announced to Ulquiorra in due time before the event was Inoue Orihime's birthday.

Ulquiorra did not bother to ask what it was, or why it was important. He deciphered the word's components and origin and took his own guess.

Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryu took him out to shop for gifts with them the day before the party.

He watched Kurosaki Ichigo pick out a pink blouse with ruffles and a floral pattern.

He watched Ishida Uryu purchase a silver necklace with the kanji for "joy" on a small plate hanging from the end.

When they reminded him that they were about to leave, he was still standing there, staring at the store around him like a foreign world.

It was only when they yelled at him for the third time to hurry up that he snatched a golden pin shaped like a heart off of a nearby shelf and placed it silently on the front desk.

* * *

Orihime ate a chocolate cake with red bean paste for icing, green bean jelly filling, and bits of eggplant on top at her birthday party.

Everyone else politely declined their slice. Ulquiorra took one bite and commented that it was too sweet, but it wasn't bad.

He did not anticipate the stunned expressions all the other guests gave him for a long time afterward.

* * *

When Orihime received her pink blouse, she smiled very wide and thanked Kurosaki Ichigo twice.

When she opened her silver necklace with the kanji for "joy," she squealed and clapped her hands until Ishida Uryu's face turned bright red.

But when she unwrapped the little box and removed the heart pin from inside, she leapt over the piles of wrapping paper and hugged Ulquiorra tight.

Ulquiorra did not understand her. But the rest of the group did not hesitate to laugh.

* * *

Ulquiorra had heard his fair share of strange questions from humans.

But the strangest ones were almost always from Kurosaki Ichigo.

And the strangest one from him came out of the blue, when they both happened to arrive early to an evening study group and had fallen into a long, awkward silence.

"Are you going out with Inoue?"

Ulquiorra glanced up from the book he had brought along to read. "Going out where?"

And Kurosaki Ichigo had never laughed so hard.

* * *

Ulquiorra waited until they had arrived home, and he was in the middle of their noodles, eggs, and chocolate chips.

He looked at her as she took a sip of her juice.

"Are we going out?"

Inoue Orihime choked on her drink, and Ulquiorra spent all of two minutes making sure she could breathe again.

Ulquiorra did not ask her again, and the topic was dropped.

* * *

A week later, a chuckling Kurosaki Ichigo explained what "going out" meant.

And he broke into another fit of laughter when Ulquiorra stared at him with the eyes almost as wide as saucers.

* * *

It was two weeks after her own birthday party had ended that Orihime asked him when his birthday was.

He gave her a strange look when she gasped upon him telling her very plainly that he didn't have one.

Orihime thought that was very sad.

Ulquiorra just went back to his homework.

* * *

The following Monday evening, Ulquiorra walked into his apartment to find a large group of people yelling "surprise!"

He hoped no one noticed that his hand had gone instinctively to his waist to grasp the hilt of a sword that wasn't there.

The other guests, some of them humans and some of them Shinigami and some of them Vizards and even the young Arrancar Nel, chatted amongst themselves as Ulquiorra approached Inoue Orihime to ask her exactly what was going on.

She smiled. "It's your birthday party. You said you didn't have a birthday, so I gave you one. September 23rd."

Ulquiorra did not say anything more about it.

* * *

Orihime offered to do the dishes after the guests had left.

Ulquiorra stood for a long time in the main room of the house, looking at nothing in particular.

It almost made her jump when he showed up behind her.

"Thank you," he whispered, his gaze strictly locked with hers.

Orihime beamed.

* * *

Orihime knew that by the time the end of October rolled around, she should have realized that Ulquiorra knew nothing about human holidays.

But still, she couldn't help but feel surprised when she asked him what he was going to do for Halloween, and he just looked at her.

Her five-minute explanation didn't change his blank stare. He merely glanced away and muttered something she couldn't make out.

Orihime sighed a little sadly and walked away.

* * *

"Why does Orihimwe look sad, Ulquiorra-sama?"

Ulquiorra glanced at the child who sat next to him as Kurosaki Ichigo's younger sister finished dinner, not bothering to remind her that he no longer needed to be addressed in such a manner. "How would I know, child? Perhaps she isn't pleased that I refused to participate in this Halloween festivity."

"So Ulquiorra-sama made Orihimwe sad!" the Arrancar child almost shouted.

Ulquiorra let out a soft breath. "Perhaps."

She paused and stuck out her bottom lip and crinkled her eyebrows. "If Ulquiorra-sama made Orihimwe sad, Ulquiorra-sama should make Orihimwe happy again!"

To this, Ulquiorra said nothing.

But he did not forget it.

* * *

Orihime had just gotten into her costume when she heard a knock on the door.

She opened it cautiously.

And her jaw dropped when she saw Ulquiorra standing there with a large black hooded cloth draped over all but his face, and what appeared to be a mask that had been moved briefly up to the top of his head.

"Ulquiorra … what are you wearing?" she asked, blinking.

"Is this not what you do on Halloween?" Ulquiorra asked as if a little confused, obviously shifting around within the cloth. His eyes flicked over her. "And is that not why you are wearing false wings and that golden circle above your head?"

Orihime had never smiled so wide, and even she was sure that she had never hugged Ulquiorra so tight.

* * *

Everyone seemed to know what the girl was mimicking with her costume, though Ulquiorra could never quite figure it out.

But by the looks they gave him, no one at Urahara Kisuke's Halloween party seemed to have a clue about him.

Finally, Shihoin Yoruichi wandered up to him in her black cat outfit and gave him an odd smile. "So what are you supposed to be?"

Ulquiorra looked at her for a long time.

At last, he closed his eyes and sighed quietly, before reaching up to the mask he had kept above his head and moving it to rest in front of his face.

He heard a very loud, boisterous laugh.

"You're a Gillian!"

Ulquiorra instantly decided that next year he would give himself more time to think of a less amusing costume.

* * *

The anniversary of the victory of the Winter War had become a holiday in the Soul Society, and hoards of Shinigami crowded into the warehouse of the Vizards for the celebration that November.

Ulquiorra sat on the roof.

It took only ten minutes before he heard the faint sound of someone climbing up and walking along the roof behind him.

He glanced up to see Inoue Orihime gazing at him.

She didn't say a word, but merely sat down next to him and placed one of her warm peachy hands over his own.

And Ulquiorra did not feel quite so alone.

* * *

Due to his high marks, the teacher suggested that Ulquiorra take the national exam early with her special permission.

Orihime convinced him to agree.

Not long after, the teacher took pride in announcing to the class that Ulquiorra Cifer had received a full scholarship to attend university one year early.

Even Ishida-kun offered his congratulations, but Orihime couldn't help but notice that his study habits got even more obsessive after that.

Ulquiorra asked her after class what the big deal was.

Orihime just smiled, patted him softly on the shoulder, and said that that evening, she would bake him a cake.

* * *

According to the teacher, Ulquiorra could have attended a top university in Tokyo without having to pay a single yen.

But Ulquiorra applied and was accepted to a small, respectable school a few kilometers outside of Karakura.

When Orihime confusedly asked him why he would turn up the opportunity of a lifetime, he was silent for a good few minutes.

"Because," he answered at last. "You have taught me that some things are worth more than such opportunities."

Orihime tilted her head. "And what's that? What's more important to you than that scholarship?"

Ulquiorra looked to the ground, and after a few seconds of silence, turned to walk away.

But briefly, before he did so, he glanced back in her direction.

"You."

And then he left.

* * *

It was a quiet, uneventful night in December when Ulquiorra found himself on the roof of the apartment with Inoue Orihime, watching a fireworks display.

As the colors burst and exploded in the distance, she watched them, and he watched her, and he couldn't help but notice that her face seemed to glow.

"Why?"

She looked at him and raised both eyebrows. "Why what?"

"Why did you bring me back?" he asked, his green eyes serious, but not unkind.

It was a very long time before she did anything.

But at last, she scooted the short distance between them and reached over to take one pale hand in her own warm fingers.

He watched a smile glow on her lips and in her eyes.

"Because," she whispered.

And though he could never be sure exactly why, and as the sky filled with color and light, for the first time, Ulquiorra Cifer felt truly content.


End file.
